Chapter 7

The Spartans patrolled the fence, followed by teams of marines, who gave them plenty of berth. The civilians looked on with awe and wonder that the marines no longer had. A few of the Spartans even stopped to talk with them. It sent the civilians walking away practically singing their praises.

Not so much for the marines. Word of the Spartan's reason of defection made troop moral drop like a rock, but no one could deny that they were needed if they wanted to live through the attack. The less the civilians knew, the better.

Willis tried to remind herself that the Spartans were needed as she and Bryce reported for the mission debrief. Cameron stood at the head of the holotable, and three Spartans flanked her.

"As per your report, we have minimal ammunition, personal and equipment to mount a proper defense," she said, running her hand through her short hair. The holotable showed the marine's HQ and the covenant's cruiser parked over the city. "A good defense would require ten times the men and weapons than the Covenant have. Frankly, I'm surprised they haven't moved to kill us."

"You probably scared them off," Willis said frostily. Two Spartans turned, returning her cold gaze.

"We do have a reputation among the Covenant," Cameron evenly replied. She turned back to the holotable. "The best defense is a good offense, so we will be going ahead with our plan to destroy the Covenant cruiser stationed above the city."

"Did they train the sanity out of your head, or did they recruit you like that?" Willis asked. Bryce glared at her, telling her to stop.

"Cut the head off the snake, and the body dies," Cameron replied.

"And how, pray tell, do you suggest we destroy something a few UNSC cruisers can't?" Sarah shot back.

"We have five Havoc tactical nukes," Cameron said. Sarah stood up straighter. "Part of our bag o' tricks we told you about. We sneak in, arm it at their reactor, then blow it sky high."

"You want to kill whoever is leading the Covenant to buy time for the UNSC to come," Bryce said.

"That's correct."

"Sounds like commando shit," Willis said. "I volunteer."

The Spartans looked at her with what seemed to be newfound respect. Bryce looked at her like she was crazy.

"We won't turn down the help," Cameron said, her voice still staying even. "If you know of any men who would volunteer, ask them."

"Wilco."

"Bryce?" Cameron asked.

"Someone needs to hold down the fort," he said.

"No shame in protecting the base; in fact, I'm glad you volunteered for the duty," Cameron said. "The Covenant might launch a counter-attack while we're away, and we need to protect the civilians. I'll leave most of my men here."

"Most?" Bryce asked.

"This is going to be a blitz; a small team, moving fast. We get in and get out as fast as we can. Remember, we're outnumbered. Large numbers would slow us down, drain our ammo."

Willis nodded. It all made sense.

"We will, however, need a diversion." Cameron typed at the table, and the Scorpion tanks materialized, moving straight through the city to the cruiser. "Sergeant Major Bryce, we'll need you to give us some of your men. They'll be moving through the city with a small team of Spartans, half of the men I will be leaving at base.

"With the tanks, they'll make it look like we're making a straight assault. They'll get one-third to half of the way there, and turn around, beating it double-time back to base where they will defend it. That'll draw their attention, allowing us to slip up to the ship and up the gravity elevator. Bryce, what is the best way for us to move?"

Bryce looked at the map. It seemed really good; the Spartans had updated the map to account for bombed streets and closed roads.

"It still looks like the pier is your best bet," he said, pointing it out. "Storm drains run along the length of the coast; it should get you most of the way."

"Are those drains even working?" Willis asked. "They could be bombed out, or flooded."

"We'll deal with it," Cameron said.

"What about me?" She asked.

"You volunteered. You can deal with it, too."

Willis sneered. The bitch had her there. Still, it sounded like fun.

"We will be on radio silence to mask our presence as long as possible. That means that we'll be limited line-of-sight tight beam transmissions to relay news; we'll effectively be dead to the world. Sergeant Major Bryce, you and Petty Officer Bridget will be on your own command. Sergeant Major Willis, pick your men, but limit them to no more than five. We move out at 0700. Dismissed."


The tanks were fueled, loaded and ready to move. The marines walked to Warthogs, loading up and jumping on. Bryce walked among them, more nervous than he has even been. There was no talking, no gossiping, no joking. Just the straight faced…despair? Determination? Bryce couldn't tell. His marines moved with purpose, with energy, but something about it hinted at dread. They had faced the Covenant before, and held the line.

Or had they? They practically broke when the Brutes had charged them. Only the Spartans had saved them. Could it be the surprise attack? The lack of alertness, being coddled into apathy by the far-away colony job? Whatever had affected the Marines, they still hadn't gotten over it. But they needed to, and they needed to get over it fast. 0700 was rapidly approaching.

The Spartans were much better. Those that were staying to draw attention and defend the base moved quickly, crisply, stocking Scorpion tanks and their personal ammunition. Cameron and her commando squad were triple- and quadruple- checking their equipment. Some even sparred, their fists moving in a blaze as they struck, blocked, parried and countered.

Willis' small squad seemed the most nervous of all. They were all volunteers, but they were obviously sweating bullets. All but Willis herself. She seemed as calm as the Spartans, drinking a bottle of beer as she waited. Strictly non-regulations, but no one was about to stop her. She was volunteering for commando duty, after all.

Suddenly Bryce couldn't take his eyes off her. She held the bottle in two fingers, lifting it up to her mouth where she pulled at the alcohol. She was sitting on a foldable chair, two of the chair's legs lifted while one leg was propped up on an ammo box. She looked just like a Marine, dirty, greasy, loud and abrasive. But Bryce couldn't stop looking at her, wondering if this was the last time he would ever see her. He wanted to stop her, hold her back, even though she would curse and belittle him.

"Worried?" A Spartan asked. Bryce jumped; it was the Spartan with the squat face who sat next to Cameron.

"Yea, I'm fucking worried," he said. Why did he say that? He should have said 'I'm fine.' Was he really that stressed?

"Don't worry about Sergeant Major Willis," the Spartan said. "Cameron will make sure to keep her and her men safe."

"Yea, sure," Bryce said. "You worried? Or do Spartans not get worried?"

"We get worried," the Spartan said. "Just like regular humans."

"Really? Do you get names like regular humans, or are those assigned?" He asked.

The Spartan gave him a hard look, but Bryce somehow held his ground.

"Bridget."

"Nice to meet you. You nervous?"

"Always before a mission."

"Really."

"A little bit of nervousness is a good thing. Makes you cautious, keeps your body ridged, at attention. You make reactions quicker."

"What if you're too nervous?"

"Then you're a wreck," she said flatly. "Although I could give you some medication if you want."

"I don't like getting doped up."

"Neither do I."

Bridget stared out at the volunteer commando squad with Bryce, waiting for the time to come.

"I have a question," Bryce said.

"About?"

"Well, who takes care of your kids?" Bridget turned to look at him, her squat face impossible to read. "Cameron said everyone has kids. Who takes care of them while you're out on deployment?"

"It's a communal effort," Bridget said tightly. "Those not on deployment work on our base, and take care of the children."

"So they're with their father?"

"We decided to not tell them who their biological father is until they come of age. Or their biological mother, if the couple wishes it. It depends on the couple."

"What do you mean? It takes two to tango."

"We're impregnated via in vitro fertilization. Our augmentations impair our sexual drives."

Bryce cringed a little from Bridget's straightforwardness.

"Then, we raise the children with our partner."

"Partner?"

"Yes."

Bryce looked at Bridget, then over to Cameron. Suddenly it made sense why the two were sitting so close in the mess hall.

"She's your partner."

"Yes."

"Oh. Sorry, I…didn't know."

"You don't know how we live. I don't blame you for your ignorance."

"Do…do they really let you get away with fraternization?"

"What?" Suddenly Bridget was giving him a hard, puzzled look.

"Fraternization," he said evenly. "She's your commanding officer, right? Last I checked, that was frowned upon."

"We don't fraternize."

"But you said you two were partners."

"Yes, we're partners. What does fraternization have to do with this?"

"What? When you're partners, you're…together."

"Yes. What does it have to do with fraternization?"

"You're romantically involved," Bryce finally broke down.

"No, we're not." Bridget looked at him like he was crazy. Bryce felt out of his mind.

"What? But you said you're partners."

"We are. Don't you have a partner?"

"I don't swing that way," Bryce said. Now Bridget looked exasperated.

"A partner. Someone you eat with, fight with, cover and look out for," she said. "I thought you and Willis were partners."

"Wait, you mean like friends?"

"What else would I mean?"

"I thought…"

Bridget shook her head. "We look out for each other, like any partner would. We raised our children together, and will help train them and their partners when the time comes."

"What happened to the father?"

"The fathers decided to raise their own children. It was a mutual agreement."

"So…you got knocked up—"

"Impregnated," Bridget corrected. Bryce squirmed again.

"By another man?"

"Two different men. Like I said, it was done via in vitro fertilization."

"Yea, you mentioned it. And you raise your kids yourself?"

"Correct. Right now, they're under the care of other off-rotation Spartans. Cameron would say that 'it takes a village to raise a child.'"

Bryce shook his head, walking away. Why couldn't it be 0700 already?


The next thing Bryce knew, it was 0700, and he suddenly wished it wasn't. Willis threw away her empty beer bottle and walked over to him.

"Hitting the sauce before a mission?" He nervously chuckled.

"It's just one beer. For my nerves," she hastily added. Her nervousness seemed to put him at ease.

"Just do me a favor, will you?" He asked.

"Don't be going soft on me," she warned.

"Don't you go dying on me," Bryce replied.

Willis fixed him with a hard stare. "Touché."

Stiffly, Willis walked off back to the Spartans. Bryce stood rooted in place.

"Sergeant?" Gomer walked up to him. He looked ready, but his eyes betrayed him. "Orders?"

"Get everything ready," he said, forcing himself to be calm. He was in charge, dammit. "Start the Warthogs and the Scorpions. We wait for Cameron and Willis to get into position."

He looked over his shoulder. Willis and her squad was leading the Spartans out through the back of the base and towards the pier. They silently crept along, walking single file.

"We move on their signal."

Bryce walked to the tanks, sitting on the armored skirts of one. He wished he could have told Sarah how he felt, but he knew that if he had the chance, he wouldn't be able to talk. Maybe she was the same way as she left; wanting to talk, but nothing needed to be said. He fiddled with his assault rifle, checking the magazine in the breech and the ones in his pockets. The tanks engines turned over and caught, Spartans drove them out into the open of the base. Bryce swayed as the war machine he sat on moved, but didn't move to jump off.

Marines and Spartans moved to the Warthogs. Many Spartans walked, leaving the Marines to ride the 'Hogs. In the middle of the base, the three Scorpions sat in perfect line-up with the Warthogs flanking them. It was all very official looking. Bridget walked up to Bryce.

"I hope you and your men are ready," she said.

"I hope so, too."

Bridget snorted. Was it laughter? Before Bryce could read her face again, she slipped her helmet on. Bryce's personal radio squawked, just for a second.

"That's the signal," Bridget said.

"I know." Bryce stood up on the tank. "Move out! Go!"

The Spartan driving the tank hit the gas and Bryce struggled to keep his balance. The tanks quickly fell into single file line and moved out of the base. The Marines standing guard saluted as they passed. The Spartans on duty simply watched them, subtly nodding to other Spartans. Behind them, the civilians applauded. They didn't know they were a giant diversion.

As soon as they were out past the fence, the 'Hogs roared around them, moving ahead, behind, and to the sides of them. The Spartans that walked followed the tanks. It was time to kick the hornet's nest.